Court-appointed experts are still compiling reports into a building collapse in Corradino that killed a 20-year-old man just over a month ago, according to sources.
Jean Paul Sofia died and five others were injured when the multi-storey building under construction in an industrial estate partially collapsed on December 3.
Three of those who were critically injured have since been released from intensive care and are no longer in danger, according to the police.
The victim’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici, last week said the family had been left in the dark with neither the authorities nor those responsible for the site having contacted them since the incident.
Legal sources said magisterial inquiries could take months, especially if it involved different tests on the building material which was being used in the project.
“This is not an open and shut case, especially when it comes to apportioning blame. The experts need to be allowed to work in serenity and do all the tests they need to do to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities,” one source who is usually appointed as a court expert told Times of Malta. The source is not working on this case.
Sources said experts appointed by the inquiring magistrate, Mars-Anne Farrugia to investigate the incident are still compiling their reports.
Sofia’s mother told Times of Malta she wanted to ensure that this tragedy does not repeat itself while making sure that those responsible for her son’s death are brought to justice.
She described how she had persuaded her only son to leave the construction industry because of the dangers and he had embarked on a new career as an air conditioning technician.
She still does not know why her son was sent to the site that Saturday morning.
“He shouldn’t have been there,” she said.
A timber factory gone wrong
The Corradino industrial estate construction site where Jean Paul was killed was being developed into a timber factory.
Matthew Joseph Schembri, who runs a turnkey business as well as an air conditioning firm, appeared as the project applicant. The land is leased to Kurt Buhagiar, a senior Lands Authority official.
The architect behind the project, Adriana Zammit, also works for Infrastructure Malta.
Five workers were rescued from the rubble of the collapse and Jean Paul’s body was found after a 14-hour search.
The Building and Construction Authority and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority – which both had said they were investigating - have not made any public statements since.
The Occupational Health and Safety Authority reported 19 workplace fatalities between 2019 and 2021, of which 17 were in the construction industry.